Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 09:22
Top Chinese space official has called for the country to speed up its plans to develop lunar infrastructure. Yang Mengfei of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) Yang stressed that in terms of the industrial market, China faces a critical moment. The moon is becoming a focal point for space faring nations' plans for exploration.
Virgin Orbit lays off most employees
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 22:48
Virgin Orbit announced late March 30 it was laying off the vast majority of its employees. The company had furloughed most employees March 15 as part of a pause in operations. Virgin Orbit worked to find another investor but, as of March 30, no deals were imminent.
Maxar eyes military customers for satellite images of objects in space
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 20:54
Maxar predicts a burgeoning market for high-resolution images of objects in orbit. The company is in discussions with the U.S. Space Force and other agencies. Data could be used to identify potential threats and monitor suspicious activity in space. This type of imagery also would support space traffic management.
Telesat still bullish on Lightspeed despite funding uncertainty
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 20:23
Telesat remains committed to developing its Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellation. CEO Dan Goldberg: "We continue to make progress with the various parties we're engaged with" Telesat has so far lined up about $3 billion of financing for Lightspeed through existing resources.
Chinese defense contractor to begin launching VLEO satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 12:23
Chinese state-owned defense contractor preparing to launch first VLEO satellite. VLEO satellites orbit at altitudes of between 150 to 300 kilometers, much lower than most satellites. VLEO concepts have emerged in the U.S. And Europe in recent years.
NASA releases draft strategy for long-term robotic Mars exploration
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 11:36
NASA unveils draft strategy for long-term robotic exploration of Mars. Plan calls for low-cost missions and potential commercial partnerships. Plan is intended to create a “sustainable’ series of missions to Mars. NASA currently has no other robotic Mars missions in development.
Space ISAC stands up Operational Watch Center to keep pace with proliferating threats to space systems – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
Space ISAC has launched its Operational Watch Center. The Watch Center is supported by a dedicated team of 10 in-person analysts with additional virtual support enabled by cloud architecture. Space ISAC’s Watch Center is further strengthened by partnerships with more than 30 government agencies worldwide. The space economy is projected to reach a staggering $1 trillion by 2040.
NASA moves forward with new Moon to Mars Program Office and the agency’s head of office – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
Amit Kshatriya will serve as the agency’s first head of the office. Lakiesha Hawkins will serve as the deputy for the Moon to Mars Program Office. Steven Creech will serve as the technical deputy for the office. The new office will also lead planning and analysis for long-lead developments to support human Mars missions.
UPDATE: “Abort, abort, abort” as SpaceX’s launch of SDA’s Tranche 0 mission was scrubbed at T-3 – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Friday, March 31 at 7:29 a.m. PT (14:29 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 mission to low-Earth orbit. The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched one Starlink mission. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.
Planet to enhance their data analysis platform through the acquisition of Sinergise tech – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 00:00
Planet Labs PBC has signed an agreement to acquire the business of Holding Sinergise d.o.o. (“Sinergise”) Sinergise’s technology powers the European Union-backed Sentinel Hub, an advanced, API-driven, cloud streaming platform. The transaction is expected to close during Q2 of Planet’s current fiscal year and is subject to certain closing conditions.
The second Plan-S smallsat captures a selfie while on-orbit – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
Plan-S, Turkey’s leading, private initiative in the satellite and space technologies industry, took a selfie from space (see image above) of their Connecta satellite. Türkiye’s fast-growing space company was established in 2021 and completed its first satellite, Connecta T1.1, within eight months after the company’s establishment.
Mouser Electronics and Astrocast’s distribution agreement will deliver satellite IoT components – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
Astrocast, a nanosatellite IoT network operator, signed a distribution agreement with Mouser Electronics. Astrocast’s core technology, the Astronode S communication module and its patch antenna, as well as the Astronode S+ will be made available via Mouser’s e-commerce platform.
Speedcast and International Cruise Line’s milestone supplies highest continuous capacity in cruise history – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 00:00
Speedcast announces successful implementation of a specialized connectivity solution for an international cruise line’s newest vessel. The innovative, satellite-to-ship tracking solution was deployed for the ship, which runs on liquified natural gas and can accommodate 6,500 passengers. The bandwidth being delivered to the single ship surpasses the total capacity delivered across the cruise operator’s entire fleet just a decade ago.
Russia launches classified payload from Plesetsk on Soyuz-2.1v
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-29 22:31
Soyuz-2.1v rocket launched from Site 43/4 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It carried an unknown payload designated Kosmos-2568 to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) The identity of the payload is unknown, but it may be another inspector satellite.